Cycle Indochina & Angkor Wat - Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 67 reviews.

Bethan Evans

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written October 2012
This was my first ever cycling holiday so I was a bit nervous. Would I be fit enough? Would the others be super-athletes? I'm happy to say that I absolutely loved it and didn't want it to end. The staff in all 3 countries were brilliant, especially Nee, our Thai guide who stayed with us every km of the way. She was funny, supportive, kind, and very much on the ball; everything you need in a guide. I loved all the support staff too, all very friendly and helpful, making sure we were all safe and happy and that we all had plenty of water/fruit/nuts etc to keep us going. The bikes were great, the hotels were lovely and the food was outstanding. Also, the other members of the group were really nice people, great fun and great company.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The day we cycled into Vietnam. It was just the most perfect bike ride: so much to see on the road-sides, from fighting cockerels to laughing locals, exotic flowers, hilly bits, flat bits, bumpy, laugh-a-minute bits; the guide took us at the perfect pace - not too fast, not too slow; I loved every minute.
I also loved the muddy, bumpy off-road bits when we got very dirty!
Can't say I 'enjoyed' the Killing fields day in Cambodia, it was pretty harrowing but well worth doing and I'll never forget it.
What did you think of your group leader?
Nee was wonderful. She was fantastic when I fell a long way behind the group after a puncture. She's only tiny but superfit and strong and just by placing her hand on my back, she managed to help a knackered and despondent me pedal up the neverending slopes to catch up with the others. She was constantly aware of people's comfort and enjoyment. 10 out of 10 for everything.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Try everything!
Learn a few words and phrases of the local language, even though you're only there for a couple of days.
And if you're arriving before the others, it's cheaper to find your own way to the hotel than use the transfer option from the airport in Bangkok.
Have a proper Thai massage ( not just a cheap street one). I recommend the one at the hotel used by Exodus in Bangkok - Nouvo Hotel - the one they use if you arrive in advance. Amazing.
If you go for the single supplement option as I did, you tend to get the nicest rooms!

Is there anything else you would like to add?
It's definitely a top heavy trip. The first 3 days in Thailand were hard, and the scenery was a bit boring to be honest. I really think it would be better to change the balance - maybe work out a shorter and more interesting cycle for the first day at least, and bus the group part of the way to make up time. The heat can be a shock to some, but most are used to it after a couple of days, and in my case at least, I was much stronger after half way and wanted to cycle much more than we did in Cambodia and Vietnam.
Also, and this is probably just me, but I could have done with a bit less temple touring in Cambodia (I'm the same with cathedrals). It might be an idea to offer an alternative on one of the temple days? Not sightseeing, nothing touristy, just a nice bike ride. Just a thought.
Tarina Shadgett

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written September 2012
A great way to see Indochina and it was a holiday I will not forget. In fact, I will now do more tours this way.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Seeing the sun rise over Angkor Wat was probably the one of the main highlights. This wasn't really part of the tour, but suggested by the guides as optional, who then organized to have a 'taxi' waiting at 5 am. It was INCREDIBLE!! But all the time we spent in Angkor Wat was amazing. Definitely is one of the 7 wonders of the world.
Going to see the students at the School for underprivileged children in Cambodia was very insightful. Great kids!
The Mekong home-stay was really fun as well as the riding around the Delta... would have liked that to last 2 nights it was so good! The family were lovely.
The local people, especially the kids that would rush out and say HELLO and wave when you could cycle past...
What did you think of your group leader?
Al was with us all the way from Bangkok. Always ready and willing to help and full of knowledge about history, food, where to get odd and ends etc... Always with calm, with a smile and made sure you didn't have to worry about anything.
Fila, our Cambodian guide was GREAT especially with the tours around the temples in Angkor Wat. He is passionate about his country and for its future. He was keen that we tried all the specialities of the Cambodian cuisine and I am pleased that he did. There is some great food!
Or Vietnamese guide was good too, but after Fila, he had big shoes to step into...
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
This tour is set up for all levels... you just do what you can at your speed. There is no stress if you aren't very fast and the speedy ones race ahead, but always waiting at the next stop.
There are regular breaks and the support teams always ready with food and drinks waiting for us.
The support teams in each country made sure that the bike was ready for you in the morning and at the end of the day packed it up for you. As well as loading and unloading your luggage at the hotels. You almost didn't have to lift a finger to do anything... Apart from the cycling it was a relaxing holiday as you are so well looked after by the guides and teams.
You are in Asia and it will rain... get used to it. It cools you down, and then you get dry in the warmth. I would not say that it was a down point... It is a change from the heat and sweat.
Make sure you wear padded pants.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
I am a frequent traveler and sometimes blasé with what I see and the places I visit having traveled so much, but doing a tour of Asia this way, you got to see a less touristy side and it was more down to earth and real.
If you are worried about fitness levels-don't. Doing 500 kms might sound daunting, but it is done with many stops/breaks and there are very few hills.
If you are worried about language barriers or food-don't. The guides take all the worry away.
You are well looked after and I would not hesitate to recommend this tour to anyone.
GO DO IT!!!
Peter Carpenter

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written August 2012
My wife (Sarah) and I both love cycling and travelling, although our cycling abilities are very different - she competes in european triathlon races while I like to pootle along and look at the scenery. This trip was perfect for us - it had several days in Thailand of good distances, between 70 - 90km each day and Sarah had the freedom to go quickly, even having fun on a rolling draft with the Thai guides. Meanwhile I remailed solidly in the middle, having nice chats with others in our group. Every 10km's we'd all stop for water and fresh local fruits (melon, watermelon, bananas, lyches, etc) and I'd be able to catch up with Sarah! When we got to Cambodia and Vietnam later in the trip the distances were less big and the group tended to stick a bit more together, but this was also the point where we saw a lot of great sights, not least the temples at Angkor and the Mekong Delta so the nature of the trip changed from mainly a cyling trip that happened to be in Indochina to a trip in Indochina that hapened to involve cycling. In both circumstances we we were happy.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The visit to the Jungle temple in Angkor was fabulous. It's called Ta Prohm and it was one of those sights that you dream of when you travel which makes you just go 'wow'. Everywhere you looked was a photo and I had to try really hard to not live the visit though my camera. It was the first temple we visited, having cycled from Siem Reap, so we were fairly early. Seeing all the trees having grown into the walls with enormous roots somehow connected and running through the buildings is just amazing to see. Lonely Planet's description was the best I'd read - (paraphrasing) - it's the closest anywhere in the world you can experience the origional wonder and awe that the first European explorers must have experienced when they happened upon these discoveries. I found it was one of those experiences that reminded me why I love travelling so much and it inspired me to want to do more, for those moments when you see stuff that takes you by surprise and makes your head spin with what you see. It's cheesy but you really do go 'wow' when you're there!
What did you think of your group leader?
She was fabulous. Her name was Moh and she was just such a kind, funny and entertaining leader. She never once appeared tired or annoyed, even though I think her job must be very hard - she was up before us each morning, looked after 18 of us at meal times to make sure we had everything we could possible want before sitting down herself to eat. She chatted to everyone to make sure that everyone was ok and to keep spirits up (some people struggled with the heat or the biking distances). She was happy to answer any question and had excellent english so there was never any difficulty in communicating what we needed. At one point in the cycling one of the group swerved to avoid something in the road and hit Moh, she fell off ripping her cycling trousers and bleeding a little. But she was fine about it, smiled and was so kind. A few members of the group also had a couple of minor medical issues (including myself - on day two I had a leech attach itself to my knee after paddling in a leech free lake!). She was always happy, calmly sorting out the problem. She also helped us organise some of the minor things like getting laundry done and arranging small extra outings like booking a taxi to see Angkor Wat at sunrise. We couldn't have hoped for a kinder, friendlier and more entertaining guide.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Overall the trip was fabulous. No complaints. As always there are several small bits which, if you're aware of, it'll make the trip that bit more fabulous. Take your own water bottle for the bike and try to make sure it's got a lid over the mouth piece - some of the roads get very dusty and so swigging from a bottle that has dirt around the mouth piece somewhat takes the refreshment out of the drink. Also take a pair of 'Sealskin' waterproof socks. It will rain torrentially at least once while you're on the bike and in that weather after 5 mins you are drenched head to foot. Which is fine as clothes can dry and be changed. But you shoes might not. If you can wear your sealskins the next day you can wear you wet shoes and they can dry in the sun as you cycle. Otherwise you either have to wear wet shoes or leave them soaking wet in a carrier bag on the bus without being able to dry them out. Also make sure you have padded cycling shorts. For those long distances cycling in Thailand your bum will go numb, even with the shorts, but it'll be unbearable if you don't have them. Try to make sure you find out clearly from your main guide who is and isn't covered by the 'Kitty'. Everyone pays $60 into a kitty at the beginning to cover water & fruit stops, and tips at the hotels. However some of the other guides are covered by this kitty while others aren't. This led to some embarrasment on our last night when we had to hurredly collect an extra tip for a guide who we were meant to tip but we had all thought he would be tipped from the kitty. Finally, consider adding an extra day on your trip to spend in Ho Chi Minh City. We went to the Cu Chi tunnels which was brilliant (I got to shoot live rounds from an AK47 - a real highlight!) but then we had 2 more days afterwards in HCMC to see the sights, war museums, roof top bars and the Jade Pagoda. All of which were fabulous. The one day left at the end of the trip isn't enough to see all of this.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
It's a great trip. What attracted us to it was that its a real opportunity to do something that would have been difficult to organise ourselves - border crossings between 3 countries on bikes is not straight forward (e.g. between Cambodia and Vietnam we had to change bikes - something to do with not being able to register the vehicle on the immigration form). Biking with support across rural, untouristy areas of these countries while knowing you are completely safe and looked after should anything go wrong with the bike is invaluable. And if our experience is anything to go by the independence you are given and friendliness of the staff make the trip a great 2 weeks which is worth every penny.
Vicki Loxley

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written August 2012
I learned, loved and laughed - it was an adventure with so much to awaken the senses - brilliant trip and highly recommended
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
You know that you have so much visiting these countries and it humbled me into realising this and that I should not get worried about the little things. The people in these countries have little but seem the happiest I have ever met.
What did you think of your group leader?
Nee was the best tour leader I have known in 7 years of cycle trips.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Let them do everything and enjoy every moment.
Sue Drake

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written August 2012
Fascinating, amazing cultural experience and delicious food!
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Cycling between and visiting the temples at Angkor, followed by cycling through the villages of the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
What did you think of your group leader?
Nee was absolutely excellent: totally 'on the ball' and always scanning to check everything and everyone was okay.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Be ready for the first three cycling days in Thailand - our group pressed through fast and it certainly is hot and steady cycling, though drink and refuelling stops are frequent. It is a great trip - book it!
Francois Chopard-Guillaumont

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written August 2012
Nice but not more
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Angkor is the top of the trip, visit of King palace in Phnom Penh the worse (have to run...).
And around that, few details interesting (visit of workshop for example) but nothing amazing (landscape quite flat, no elephant...)
What did you think of your group leader?
Do the job but in emergency case, could be better. However pleasant and smiling behaviour.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
As we've been lucky with the rain, hope the same for you! We were in restaurant during a storm and it's scared...
Take care of "friendly" citizen, it's always to have money. Never follow anyone without check his identity with the group leader for example. I've "lost" 2000$ with that mistake!
Deal the price of Tuk Tuk ride at first, don't wait the arrival.
From Saigon, two differents airports : one for international flights and another for domestic flights (for example if you have a transfer via Hanoi).
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Visit Bangkok city
marie palmer

CYCLE INDOCHINA & ANGKOR

Written July 2012
This was a fantastic trip from start, to finish, I didn't want it to end!!!!!!I am already looking at my next trip with exodus.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Mo, and Nee (cycling guides) were both inspirational to me, they took everything in there stride, nothing was ever to much trouble. We all knew if we had any problems they would sort it out, they were there for us all every minuite, of everyday.
As we are hosting the olympics this year, I would deffinately award them them both a gold medal !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Also I found the local people inspirational, how they work so hard, for so little, and are always happy, and welcomming to mad cyclists !
What did you think of your group leader?
AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mo, was always there to go the extra mile to ensure we were all happy everyday, a mean feight looking after 18 of us, they do say you can't please everyone all of the time, in this case that is not true, she kept everyone entertained, a real credit to Exodus, she also has another future leader training with her called Nee (Bear grylls) as I knicknamed her, they were both FABULOUS, efficient, hardworking, proactive, enthusiastic etc etc. Give them a bonus!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Book a holiday with exodus now!!!!!!
From start, to finish you will have nothing to worry about, you are in safe hands.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
This holiday will stay with me, with some great memories, I'm having severe withdrawls already.
It was a awe inspiring trip, seeing so much in two weeks, it felt like we had been there for a month with the experiences we shared as a group, I didn't want it to end.
The people locals welcoming, the sites breathtaking, the leaders inspirational, the trip unforgetable.
Will the feedback be relayed to the tour guides we had??